EVENT ★ SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

[futurologists]

Following the sudden entrapment of a group of ALASTAIR diplomats, it's clear the true threat to Chantes is still afoot. The sun's disappearance may have been what was on the mission tin, but the man behind the plot is still alive and kicking. On the day the people inside the castle go incommunicado, King Christophe's head is unceremoniously tossed out from one of the towers. The word travels like wildfire from there: the Order of the Chimera's leader, Michel, has taken roost on the throne. But he doesn't seem keen on leaving much to rule — he's been busy littering the city with symbols from his grimoire. And with the king's death, they begin to stir. If ALASTAIR sent the recruits here to save Chantes, Michel and his rituals are why. THE DEMONS All around the city’s landmarks (and a few within the castle), runes have shimmered into existence. Remember those? Bothersome little things that nullify powers. But they’re not nullifying powers this time. These runes shimmer a low, sinister red, even by the bright light of midday. They wait, complacent, not really doing much of anything… that is, unless you try to destroy one of them. The moment a rune is tampered with in any way it flares brightly, and a thin red mist seeps out into the air. Each entity from the rune is a little bit different and fights in a different way, but all of them are unquestionably demonic. Some of them manifest physical forms and attack with claws and bolts of energy, but many of them are not so blunt. In fact, most of these demons are much more insidious, as recruits will quickly discover. POSSESSION Most of these creatures use possession as their main tactic, although their methods vary. Some demons keep themselves invisibly after that initial red leak of mist, choose a target, and begin to whisper in their ear. They’ll promise anything — power, riches, fame. Their words alter what might otherwise be sound judgment, making their target believe that not only are these demons perfectly capable of delivering, but they will impart their gifts just as soon as the recruit takes care of this one little task. Attacking your friend isn’t really so much to ask, right? Just think of the reward, just around the corner! Some demons spark a frenzy in their target. An unquellable rage rises within them, urging them to lash out at anyone around them. Maybe they see a nemesis from their past transposed over a friend, maybe they’re trapped in an unpleasant memory and trying desperately to fight free of it — whatever it takes, these demons relish provoking an uncontrollable need to fight. And finally, some of them will outright inhabit the body of their target and control all of their actions and words. The recruit will be fully aware of their actions, but unable to prevent any of it. They can only watch as the entity within them does whatever it takes to disable the friends around them — treachery, outright attack, whatever is needed. In each case the demons can be exorcised if you happen to be with someone with a knack for it, but otherwise impossible to drive out. The demon will remain in its host until someone else successfully destroys the rune it came from, which will finally kill it. The demons know this, of course, and will focus all effort on stopping any damage to their rune if it seems under threat. The destruction of runes inside the castle will open a thin breach in the barrier spell over it, allowing those inside to slip out (or those outside to slip in). They’d better move fast, though, as the breach will heal itself again in about 30 seconds. Miss your chance and you’ll have to hunt down and destroy another rune. (NOTE: Characters trapped within the castle may escape with enough time to take part in the possession aspect of the event with the rest of the game.) Anyone with a sense for magic can easily tell that the longer these runes go without being destroyed, the stronger their energy pulses. Eventually even ordinary folk will feel it. Townsfolk in the area become uneasy and restless, and proximity to intact runes will begin to fill you with a sense of dread and unnamed anxiety. Something is coming. Something that must be stopped before it can be let into the world. THE SUMMONS No matter how quickly the recruits move, there always seems to be one more rune to find, one more demon to defeat. And still that energy is building. When the town clock strikes 12 noon, the runes are at full strength, and they begin to launch into a coordinated ritual. A summoning spell, to be exact. The demons disappear, their energy sacrificed to bring forth something even worse. All over the city portals begin to open and beasts begin to claw out of them. These are chimeras, straight from myth, each one half the size of a building. They have vast wings and three heads a piece, a lion, a goat, and a dragon — plus a live snake for a tail. The tail’s what you should really look out for. A bite from the snake turns the bitten limb into solid stone, which will take either three days or a splash of blood from one of the chimeras to return to flesh and blood. It can be discovered that these monsters have an odd vulnerability to pure iron. If struck or stabbed by something made of iron their skin blisters and burns — enough of this could prove lethal to it. Or you can murder them the old fashioned way, if you’re good at killing giant monsters. Attacking them isn’t the only thing to be worried about, though. They’re smashing down buildings and attacking indiscriminately, so some characters might find their time well-spent evacuating citizens rather than partaking in the fight directly. The structural damage might be inevitable, but it’s at least possible to mitigate loss of life. THE AFTERWORD A few hours after the final chimera is killed, un-summoned, exploded, whatever its fate might be, recruits will find their ALASTAIR-given jewelry coming to life. It looks like they’re finally breaking their silence. Words scrawl across whatever surface you see them on, written in ornate purple script: On behalf of this land, thank you for your diligence and hard work. You have ten days to settle your affairs in this world before your return to Oska. Just that, then the jewelry dies out again. It’s a bit of an underwhelming show of gratitude, but it gets the point across. Say goodbye to any non-recruit friends you’ve made here, get the last word in on any arguments with the locals, settle your bar tabs — or rack them up, as per inclination. In ten days every ALASTAIR recruit will simply fade away into a white mist from the perspective of the locals. But until then the city is yours, and most importantly, safe. OOC INFO Welcome to the concluding log of Chantes! There's been quite a few pieces to it, so here's an overall list of the week's noteworthy plot posts: Peaceseeking player plot Loki and Ahad addressing Michel's disappearance A request from Arthur Event follow-up with the fate of Michel. Please note that regardless of Michel's end, we will be reading player suggestions and taking them into account for the overall fate of Chantes.

Comments

[keeper]

[ If the jailbreak hadn't been tiring enough, these demons are quite literally a class of their own, untiring and unnumbered. Inhuman by very definition, able to worm their way into a person's core and rot it from the inside out.

Truly, it's no rest for either wicked or recruit; when Aqua isn't occupied eliminating runes and/or their accompanying creatures, she's circling back to assist her fellow ALASTAIR in defending what remains of the city.

...Defending them from each other.

Sigma isn't the first demonic possession she's witnessed among their own, though it doesn't make the sight of him any less chilling. Her heart sinks faster than lead in a pond when she sees Riza lying so very still on the ground, hits bottom and erupts into wrath when Sigma moves to finish the job.

Channeling her magic into her feet, Aqua launches forward in a blur, using her momentum to barrel him off of and away from the other woman. ]

What have you done.

[ (There's no sense in trying to talk a person out of possession, but it clearly doesn't stop her from trying.) ]

[nicearms]

[ He'd already been slammed around enough to put an average man temporarily out of his misery, but on top of the fact he'd been hollowed out and filled with a tireless ethereal creature from dimensions unknown, he was a pretty damn sturdy host. But his reflexes are only human, and so the flash of movement out of the corner of his eye goes unchecked until it's practically on top of him. ]

[ The impact sends him flying, thrashing already wicked bruises and strains, but even before he comes to a halt he's rolling to his knees, jumping up like—well, like a man possessed. ]

She's sick, Aqua, she's— [ God why is he even trying to explain. ] She's sick, you're sick, this whole fucking town is going to die!

[ Fancy that, he's managed to keep a white-knuckle grip on the sword all this time. ] And you don't... deserve to see the end of that.

[ Of course, with Demon Logic rooting itself deeper and deeper into the cracks and crevices of his psyche, brutal murder has apparently become the only merciful option here. Winding back, he aims a wild upward slash in her direction. ]

[keeper]

[ What a convincing argument, Aqua's absolutely astounded and can only shake her head in disgust. (She knows it isn't Sigma speaking, and yet... What kind of memories is this fiend pulling from him? Weaving into this bizarre madness?) Best wake him up, even if it won't be gentle. ]

We're here to save Chantes. [ Nevermind that half the buildings around them are getting demolished in the process. ]

This isn't the way to do it.

[ This isn't helping, Sigma. ('Kind' though his homicidal intentions might be, she'll give no quarter for his nonsense.)

His movements are forceful and careless, undoubtedly due to the abandon of good sense and sanity. Aqua pivots in a sidestep to avoid the arc of his sword, and brings her Keyblade down close to the cross-guard, twisting sharply in an attempt to wrench the blade out of the other recruit's hand. ]

That's enough.

[nicearms]

[ It's convincing enough in his head, Aqua. If she knew what was actually happening, she'd be devastated. That kind of talk isn't going to do jack, and he scoffs at the mere attempt. ]

You're kidding me, right? We were never saving anything! Whoever the hell brought it in with them fucked the whole damn town right from the get-go.

[ "Undoubtedly". Forceful and careless is just about his entire fighting style, but bolstered by the demon's drive, his movements are positively feral. But for all he outclasses her in strength she matches in dexterity. As they lock swords and she heaves the blades down, his wrist twists back until his grip loosens. ]

[ The clatter of metal on stone barely dissipates before he's lunging forward, back into range, throwing a wild punch straight for her head. ]

Letting the place burn would be mercy!

[keeper]

Sigma...

[ It's no use, there's a connecting piece clearly missing from their attempt at conversation (or argument), and all Aqua sees is a demon feigning human words as a bridge between them. (Perhaps Sigma sees the same as well; this virus he vaguely refers to may as well be on par with supernatural possession.)

It's futile trying to convince him of anything, and she saves her breath to focus on defensive maneuvers, turning sharply away from Sigma's incoming fist. She blocks a second jab with her Keyblade (the noise of the impact... unsettling...), and jumps back several paces, allowing herself enough of an opening to collect her thoughts.

(She'll have to avoid physical attacks, seeing he'll just absorb them until the damage to his body is irreparable...) She attempts a Sleep spell, hoping it'll lure him into a temporary slumber. ]

[nicearms]

[ If she'd had a single clue, possession would be a pretty spot-on comparison. No matter how justified it feels in your head, it's still a force unknown, guiding your hand and compelling you to run, to kick and scream, to act like a wild animal ready to tear itself in half rather than be caught in a trap. There's a bit of morbidity in there, possessing a man to feel possessed. It's almost brutally textbook. Needless to say, the mention of his name goes unheeded, too incensed with the prospect of landing a blow. His second strike catches the Keyblade point-blank and reverberates up the length of his arm with a jolt, earning just enough of a wince to permit her hasty escape. ]

[ But even as he lunges in after her, she's already casting, succeeding in drowning his field of vision in a flash of light for a fraction of a second. And the sensation of being wrapped face-first in a lead-lined blanket—if ever an actual definable feeling before that moment—engulfs him like just that. His rush crumples into a stumble, head drunkenly dipping forward as eyes flutter on the verge of rolling back. A step or two on wobbly ankles, hunched and wrestling with the concept of consciousness. ]

[ But alas, his jaw remains tight, nails rutting into palms and verging on drawing blood. He's white-knuckled it through power lectures on zero sleep, he's practically sprinted laps with veins full of borderline horse tranquilizer. Even without demonic interference, Sigma Klim is a creature designed to stay awake. ]

[ The approach might be thrown off kilter, but it continues unabated. Venting a frustrated snarl at his vision's sudden protest of being upright, he staggers back the way she'd retreated, shedding the last of his finesse for an all out attempt to clothesline her. ]

[keeper]

[ For a moment it looks as if the Command is taking effect, successfully lulling him into merciful sleep, and she makes the mistake of dropping her guard before he hits the ground.

Because he never does—he's suddenly charging for her like a bull for a red cape, and there's nothing she can do in time to stop the collision. Her arms begin to raise defensively but they're ultimately as unsuccessful as the status effect.

The impact (once from his arm and twice from the cobblestone) jars her vision and expels the air from her lungs, and before she can recover completely he's got her pinned under his weight.

Magic or no, a match of brute strength is one Aqua can't possibly win. And where she might not have resorted to such drastic measures, blind instinct kicks in as soon as she feels her windpipe closing; the air around them stirs, and a clap of Thunder crashes down on Sigma. ]

[nicearms]

[ Second verse, same as the first, she goes down and within seconds he's got her pinned flat to the street, thumb digging into her jugular as he cuts off her airflow. But unlike his first victim, she has magic on her side; a little less lethal than a gun and a whole lot more versatile. Focus zeroed in on making sure the life left her eyes before he got too tired to ensure it, the Keyblade whipping up a storm at their side goes too unnoticed for too long. ]

[ For one heartbeat, the briefest sensation of his hair standing up on the back of his neck. The next, what feels like a 20,000 volt elbow drop straight between the shoulder blades. ]

[ Needless to say, Sigma goes down without a sound. Vocally, anyway. The impact itself is accompanied by a dulled metallic crack that reverberates through to his fingertips and against her throat, giving one last spasm before loosening along with the rest of him. Unfortunately, being on top of her, the entirety of his dead weight is now slumped over her chest, head lolled beside hers, breathing... bizarrely even for how much of a fight he'd been putting up. ]

[ Damn, this guy's out cold. What did you do, Aqua, knock him into another dimension? ]

[keeper]

[ Note to Self: Keep more of these taser-setting lightning spells on hand for future possessions (of the human variety, anyway).

As soon as the pressure over her throat lets up it's replaced by the rest of him on top of her... Not a huge improvement, but at the very least it's significantly less life-threatening. She takes a moment to gulp down air (though it's difficult for her lungs to expand with a human-shaped brick weighing them down), and for a moment Aqua's stunned by how terribly simple that was. (And just awful in general.)

She's really done with this business, there's only so much compromised friendships a kh can handle in the course of an afternoon.

Carefully, she begins to wriggle herself out from underneath him, hand cradling Sigma's head to make sure his neck doesn't bend in harmful ways. (Her struggle is almost comical... She's stronger than her stick-like build suggests, but he's gotta be as heavy as Terra and Ventus combined.)

Once free, she searches hurriedly for any glowing markings nearby. Finds the culprit and brings justice hurtling down in the shape of a fully-charged Keyblade.

The rune cracks, then completely splinters, releasing a cloud of dark vapor and an accompanying, dreadful noise. ]

[nicearms]

[ Wherever Aqua's dragged or left him, it isn't until several minutes after the rune shatters and releases its hold that Sigma even remotely begins to exhibit signs of life beyond the slow, silent rise and fall of his chest. And even when he does, it's minimal at best; a sharp hiss of air in and a long, aching noise out, eyes screwing themselves shut against the sudden sledgehammer-level throbbing behind them. ]

[ Every bit of him hurts. His chest feels tight enough to shorten up his breaths, his legs are somehow managing to feel both stiff as boards and like jell-o simultaneously. It keeps him face-down and motionless for a while longer, enough to register that his discomfort isn't quite all-encompassing. ]

[ Because numbness isn't actually an absence of feeling, for the most part. It's an ugly pins-and-needles kind of deal. So the actual literal complete absence almost blended in among the flood of unpleasant sensations. At least until he tries to push himself up and fails to get much more than his chin off the ground. ]

What the hell...

[ He tries again, and again, thrice before employing his legs in the effort to at least flip himself over and painstakingly sit up, one arm still draped across his lap, the other awkwardly angled at his side. ]

[keeper]

[ Aqua leaves Sigma for a moment longer to regain his senses, directing her attention instead to Riza and checking for a pulse as well as signs of breathing. (Both are there, and she sighs heavily to herself in relief.) There's a bit of ugly bruising and a few scrapes otherwise, nothing a quick Cure won't fix, and she promptly casts the healing spell in hopes it'll ease the lieutenant's rest.

...She doesn't cart her off just yet, and bounces back to Sigma, kneeling at his side for an obligatory post-exorcism check-up. His question earns him a belated diagnosis: ] It was one of the demons.

[ She'll leave it at that for now... ] Are you feeling all right? I'm really sorry about earlier...

[ He actually sounds miraculously fine for someone who'd just eaten who-knows-how-many jolts, though she frowns down at his limbs, seeing them in their awkward arrangement. She tries to tap out a Cure for him as well, though its ineffectiveness is readily apparent. ]

Your arms...

[ What the... ]

[nicearms]

[ The diagnosis earns a blank stare, if only because his memories are still trying to jumble themselves back into proper alignment like a game of Perfection gone awry. He sure had been fighting something that looked pretty demonic, and several people sure had been involved... ]

[ After a pause, he shakes his head. (You know you've hit hard when you've managed to whack the Big Damn Protag's "It's Fine" right out of him for a minute or two.) ] Or all left. Not feeling much in either direction, actually, what the hell even hit me back there? Felt like Mjolnir or something...

[ Even if the healing spell does nothing for his metal parts, it does ease up the rest of his singed nerves and his scratched up throat. Clears his head enough to really set everything in place and then ram him straight in the gut with one violent and sudden recollection of a certain sudden violence. Namely the final echoes of sensation in his fingers being a lethal clamp around a woman's throat. ]

Oh god... Oh my god, are you okay? Is— [ Sigma's head swivels in frantic search, leaning out and around Aqua and finally finding the lieutenant sprawled motionless several paces off... In congruence with the rest of the night clicking back into place, it's a sight that visibly blanches him. ] Riza!

[ Thoughts too busy winding and snarling up, he keeps on leaning, bashing shoulder-first back into the ground; all the signals delivered to his hand to catch and shove himself to his feet returned to sender, quite unread. ]

[keeper]

[ His first question is quickly lost to grim realization, and Aqua does her best to console him with, ] I'm fine.

[ (In better shape than he is for what's happened, both physically and emotionally.) Her expression creases in concern when he jolts forward and into the ground, and she helps him upright again, one arm draped across his chest as a safety net. ]

She's just unconscious.

[ (But his guilt is still palpable, almost distressing to see, and it occurs to Aqua that for all the times she's beaten off possession for her friends, this is the first she's really seen this manner of fallout.) ]

—It wasn't your fault. She'll be okay.

[ She grips his shoulder lightly, hoping to convey reassurance where her words might fall short. ]

We should get you two somewhere safer, though. Are you able to walk?